Alaska's Winter Horizon

Monday, July 10, 2017

Strange things of summer

I took this picture right before retiring for the night at Sheep Mountain Lodge. You can just make out the moon rising above the mountains.

After a restful night, we awoke to this interesting cloud just hovering above the road in front of the lodge. We got a bite to eat and then began our journey home. This proved to be great timing on our part. A huge mudslide happened right beside the lodge a few hours later. Luckily, no one was injured but it did cause quite a bit of damage. It was a pretty large and powerful mudslide, sweeping several cars along with the mud and debris.

While you can also see the Tazlina Glacier in this area, there really isn't a good place to stop and get a photo. The Matanuska Glacier, however, is quite visible from the roadway with several good spots to stop and take a pic.

There is even a school located right off the highway named Glacier View School. It is easy to see how it got its name when you look right behind the playground. You most definitely can view the glacier from this school!

As the road meandered beside the Matanuska River, we happened to see a most disturbing sight in the water. A house was floating in the swift current of the river!

The river has been threatening several homes here near Sutton. Thankfully, the family that owns the home had already moved out. The water finally eroded enough of the ground under the house to cause it to slip into the roaring water.

We arrived home, safe and sound. Greg went out later that night to enjoy some time in his hammock. He came back in quickly and told me there was a strange fat bird in the backyard.